Spoiler: kombucha certainly offers health benefits, but we conclude it is generally most beneficial when home-brewed.  Keep reading to learn why and how!

Kombucha Fermentation 101

Kombucha is essentially fermented sweet tea.  During kombucha fermentation, a culture of bacteria and yeast, known as a SCOBY, feed on sugar and other components of your tea.  As a result of this consumption, the culture/SCOBY produces organic acids and the bacteria and yeast content increase; this is much of what makes kombucha good for you.

By the end of fermentation, kombucha is actually low in sugar (particularly if you are homebrewing– more on this later) and offers many health benefits.   We know low sugar content is good, but what specific benefits make kombucha good for you?

What Makes Kombucha Good for You

While the live yeasts and bacteria in kombucha may not sound very appetizing, the fermentation process is responsible for the plentiful probiotic benefits kombucha offers.  After all, probiotics are a collection of live bacteria and yeasts that are beneficial to our health.  The probiotics in kombucha may help improve your gut microbiome and therefore your gut health. 

The importance of gut health has been increasingly stressed by researchers and health professionals over recent years, and fermented foods are a great way to improve gut health. We will dive into this further below, but a few benefits of probiotics include improved digestion and nutrient absorption, boosted immune health, oral health benefits, allergy treatment, and even management of depression and anxiety!

Kombucha is also loaded with antioxidants.  In fact, it is generally made with black or green tea—which have antioxidant qualities to begin with.  Polyphenols in tea are responsible for the antioxidant properties, and they actually increase in number during the fermentation process.  The antioxidant benefits of kombucha tea include reduced inflammation and defense against cancer-causing agents.  This is crucial considering the role inflammation plays in many chronic diseases and health issues.

Quality Control: Homebrewed Kombucha Good for You

Since home-brewing allows you to control fermentation time, sugar content, and any additives, we recommend home-brewing kombucha for the best health results.  Commercial/store-bought kombucha is often pasteurized; this kills the beneficial compounds that make it good for you. Store-bought kombucha often contains sugars and artificial ingredients as well.

“Fermented sweet tea” might sound complicated and mysterious, but kombucha is actually quite easy to make.  To make kombucha, you simply add a SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) to fresh-brewed, cooled sweet tea.  You then cover the vessel you have your tea and SCOBY in, and you leave it to ferment for a week or two.  Interested in making your own kombucha? You can actually purchase a kit with everything you need to make kombucha at home!

For more details on the benefits that make kombucha good for you, keep on reading!

Digestion & Nutrient Absorption

Our guts contain good and bad bacteria.  Probiotics offer more of the good bacteria and can create a barrier against the bad bacteria.  In doing so, evidence suggests probiotics normalize our digestive system.  Studies have shown that probiotics slow the movement of foods through the gut by 12.4 hours; this allows for better absorption of nutrients and digestion of food.  

In spite of slowing the gut transit time, probiotics have also shown to increase the number of weekly bowel movements and soften stools.  In other words, they help our digestive systems become more “regular”.  Antioxidants in kombucha also fight free radicals in the gut that could otherwise lead to cell damage and disease.

All of these benefits can help to treat and prevent various digestive issues, such as diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, nutrient malabsorption, and constipation.  It’s hard to believe this is just the start of kombucha benefits!

Kombucha Good for You & Your Allergies

Studies have shown that probiotics can treat allergies.  Children and adults alike showed reduced symptoms of allergic rhinitis in response to allergens after ingesting probiotics.  While there are many variables involved–such as type of allergen, probiotic strain, and dosing—early research shows it might be worth reaching for a kombucha next time your seasonal allergies hit!

Oral Health

While probiotics are most commonly linked to gut health, recent studies have shown benefits to oral health as well.  Among these benefits are preventing plaque, fighting bad breath, preventing oral cancer, managing gingivitis, and decreasing inflammation from gum disease.  A vote for kombucha is a vote for your pearly whites! 

Immune Health

As mentioned in relation to gut health, probiotics can create a barrier against bad bacteria.  They do so by reinforcing the “barrier” function of the intestinal lining.  This, in turn, reduces the likelihood of harmful bacteria reaching the bloodstream.  The end result is protection against infections and immune related reactions. 

In fact, recent studies have shown that regular use of probiotics (such as those found in kombucha) can reduce the likelihood of catching a cold or getting an infection, increase the effectiveness of the flu shot, reduce the symptoms and the length of a cold, and even more!  

Additionally, many of the organic acids in kombucha have been shown to inhibit growth of harmful microorganisms, which may otherwise lead to illness and/or infection.

Liver Health & Detoxification

 The glucuronic acid in kombucha also makes it an excellent health-aid for your liver.  The liver naturally produces glucuronic acid, but our bodies often cannot produce enough to rid of all toxins.  Glucuronic acid binds with toxins in our livers and allows for them to be released from the body, thus preventing them from overloading the liver and our bodies with toxins. 

Kombucha Good for You: Energy Boost

Kombucha offers a small amount of caffeine to give you a basic energy boost, but the long-term benefits offer much more.  By improving your gut health, kombucha makes it easier for your body to digest foods.  This means you are better able to digest and absorb energy-essential vitamins and nutrients from all of your food!  Your body will be more efficient in converting your food to energy in general. Kombucha also offers a small amount of energy-boosting B-vitamins in the drink itself.

Treatment and Prevention of Type 2 Diabetes

Diabetes type 2 is characterized by high blood sugar levels and a wide array of resulting symptoms.  A study on diabetic rats showed that kombucha slowed the digestion of carbs, reducing blood sugar levels.  In turn, the rats showed better liver and kidney function.  Kombucha is also very low in sugar, making it an excellent alternative to soda for those suffering from diabetes or at risk for diabetes.

Defense Against Cancer-Causing Agents, Reduced Inflammation, Heart-Disease Prevention

Kombucha tea is loaded with antioxidant-packed polyphenols.  Polyphenols offer incredible health benefits, including prevention and management of various chronic diseases, defense against cancer-causing agents, and reduced inflammation.   Polyphenols may even be a significant aid in the prevention of cardiovascular disease.

Much research on polyphenols is still needed, but we are continually learning more about the incredible health benefits they can offer.  In fact, they are even a key focus of “brainhacker” Dave Asprey’s research and diet plans.

Weight Loss

Many studies have shown that our gut health and bacteria may be related to metabolism and weight. In order to improve gut health, one should supplement with probiotics such as the ones found in kombucha.  Studies have demonstrated that certain strains of beneficial gut bacteria have a positive impact on body weight and metabolism. More research is still needed to identify strains, dosage, and duration of probiotic use as a treatment for obesity; however, the early research is promising. 

Neurological Health

Studies have shown that polyphenols help us to defend against and perhaps even treat many neurodegenerative diseases and disorders such as MS, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, stroke, and Huntington’s Disease.  Kombucha is a great source of polyphenols and the antioxidants they harbor. 

Probiotics, also found in kombucha, have also been up for review for treatment and/or prevention of neurologic diseases.  Probiotics may generally boost mood and cognitive function. 

Make Kombucha Good for YOU

Congrats! You have now gone from a kombucha newbie to kombucha-enlightened! Now that you understand some of the benefits that make kombucha good for you, it is time to act on this information.  Are you ready to start home-brewing kombucha?  Do you want to know more about the steps involved in home-brewing kombucha? Best of luck on your health journey!

The post Is Kombucha Good for You? Kombucha Benefits appeared first on Bucha Brewers.

For those of you who don’t know, kombucha is a fermented tea drink.  It has been increasingly popular in the US over the past several years and claims various health benefits such as improved digestion, detoxification, increased energy, boosted immune system, defense against cancer-causing agents, and more.

Many people purchase kombucha by the bottle at the store, and many people also home-brew their own kombucha.  Home-brewed kombucha is most likely to contain all of the natural strains of bacteria and yeast in kombucha, generally making it most beneficial to your health. However, naturally-brewed unpasteurized store-bought brands can offer these benefits as well. This all sounds pretty great, but is there any truth to a kombucha hangover remedy?  We’ll break it down below:

Detoxification

Various scientific studies have shown that kombucha contains a high amount of antioxidants, which aid the body in detoxification of harmful compounds.  In fact, a recent study found that KT (kombucha tea) can efficiently act in both preventative healthcare and recovery. This is due to four main properties of kombucha: detoxification, antioxidation, energizing potencies, and promotion of depressed immunity.   We have our verdict on detoxification: drinking kombucha regularly may support your liver in detoxification and therefore recovery after drinking!

Stomach Aches & Nausea

Many people suffer from stomach aches and nausea after a drinking binge as well.  Can kombucha help with this? 

As it turns out, kombucha is loaded with probiotics, and probiotics are essential to strong gut health.  Probiotics can also reduce inflammation; this means that your stomach and digestive tract might have a lesser inflammatory reaction to alcohol than they would have if you didn’t drink kombucha tea!  

Reduced inflammation means relief from stomach aches and nausea. As an added bonus, detoxification offered by antioxidants found in kombucha would likely help in this area as well! Kombucha can offer quite a bit of relief from stomach aches and nausea on both a regular basis and when alcohol is involved.

Headaches & Dehydration

Many symptoms of a hangover might actually result from dehydration. Many of us get hangover headaches whether they are related to hydration or not.  So, what does kombucha have to offer us in this space?

Studies have shown that many headaches and migraines might be closely tied to gut health.  Kombucha contains a wide array of probiotics. This means it can quite possibly help to prevent or at least lessen headaches resulting from a hangover.  The study cited above found that individuals regularly taking probiotics (such as those found in kombucha) saw a reduction in both the frequency and severity of headaches and migraines.

Kombucha is also fairly high in electrolytes, which are essential to rehydrating.  Kombucha is also low in sugar unlike many popular high-electrolyte sports drinks.  This means kombucha not only offers you the hydrating benefits of a “sports drink”: it also comes without the damage caused by added sugars! 

It is important to note here that home-brewing kombucha allows you to control the amount of sugar in your end-product. If you opt for store-bought kombucha, make sure you do not purchase a brand with added sugars.

The Verdict

Overall, the evidence indicates kombucha offers amazing support for hangover recovery!  Results will likely be best for those who regularly drink kombucha and therefore build up their health and ability to fight off a hangover. Still, it appears there is some degree of benefit/relief to be gained for occasional kombucha drinkers as well.  

Next time you are hurting from a night of drinking, try grabbing a bottle of kombucha and see what it can do for you.  If you want to build up your health and natural defense systems in a big way and save some money, you can even grab a kombucha home-brewing kit, which allows you to make kombucha by the gallon at home!  

Still not sure about kombucha? Check out this article for a Kombucha 101.

Kombucha brewers and drinkers: have you noticed a difference in your hangover recovery since drinking kombucha? Share your experience in the comments below!

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What is Kombucha? The Basics

Kombucha is essentially fermented sweet tea.  As a result of fermentation, kombucha is actually low in sugar and offers many health benefits.   From the antioxidants in the tea to the probiotics resulting from fermentation, kombucha has continually gained popularity as a superfood.

How is Kombucha Made?

While “fermented sweet tea” might sound complicated and mysterious, kombucha is actually very easy to make.  To make kombucha, you simply add a SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) to fresh-brewed sweet tea.  You then cover the vessel you have your tea and SCOBY in, and you leave it to ferment for a week or two.  Interested in making your own? You can actually purchase a kit with everything you need to make kombucha at home!

As an added benefit, kombucha is generally healthiest when you brew your own. This is because home-brewers control the fermentation time (and thus the amount of sugar), they brew naturally, and they do not pasteurize kombucha. Many store-bought brands pasteurize kombucha to eliminate residual SCOBY matter and stabilize the beverage for shelves, but this unfortunately eliminates many of the health benefits as well.

What Does Kombucha Taste like?

Plain kombucha has a distinct, tart taste that can be somewhat polarizing.  This comes from the organic acids present in kombucha.  Kombucha can also be flavored with juice, fruit, herbs, and more!  As a result, you can make your kombucha taste like just about anything when you brew your own! 

Kombucha can be sweet, tart, fruity, floral, spicy, or even chocolatey!  It just depends on what you flavor it with.  Since it is fermented, kombucha is excellent at pulling flavors from fruits, juice, herbs, and other additions.   As an added bonus, kombucha is carbonated and becomes extra fizzy when you flavor it with traditional second fermentation!

How Do You Flavor Kombucha?

In short, you flavor kombucha by placing plain, fermented kombucha in airtight bottles with the items you want to flavor it with.  For example, you can make spiced apple cider kombucha by placing plain fermented kombucha, apple slices, and a cinnamon stick in an airtight bottle for a few days!  The potential flavor combinations are really endless.  Check out our kombucha recipes if you want details on flavor possibilities or the second fermentation process.

What is Kombucha Fermentation?

During fermentation, the yeast in your SCOBY consume sugar and let off ethanol (alcohol) and CO2 (carbonation) as a result.  Bacteria in the SCOBY then consume the ethanol, producing various organic acids and keeping alcohol content very low.  During regular fermentation, your jar should be covered with something “breathable” like a coffee filter. This allows the bacteria, which only operate aerobically (with oxygen), to “do their thang” and create healthy organic acids.  However, it also allows most of the carbonation produced to escape.

Kombucha Second Fermentation Science

On the other hand, kombucha second fermentation takes place in airtight bottles.  This means there is very little oxygen present for your kombucha.  Fortunately, yeast in your SCOBY can operate anaerobically (without oxygen).  As a result, they consume added sugars and let off carbonation and ethanol (alcohol) within your airtight bottle.  Even after second fermentation, the alcohol levels present in your kombucha will generally be less than 2% ABV unless you are trying to brew a higher alcohol content.  However, you can build LOTS of carbonation during this period!

What is Kombucha to You?

So, you have now gone from a kombucha newbie to an expert! What will kombucha be to you?  Are you ready to start home-brewing kombucha?  Do you want to know more about kombucha’s health benefits?  We hope this is the start of a wonderful health journey for you!  Either way, you will have a pretty great answer next time a friend asks you what kombucha is!

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Kombucha for Kids: Alcohol Content

Let’s go ahead and start out with the primary risk/concern when it comes to kombucha for kids: the alcohol content in kombucha.  Kombucha is a fermented product, which means there is, in fact, some level of alcohol present in the beverage.  However, it is rather insignificant.

In stores, kombucha must remain below 0.5% ABV.  This is why kombucha can be purchased by anyone in store.  This level of alcohol is very insignificant and is not something to be concerned about for adults or children.

If you homebrew your own kombucha or are interested in home-brewing kombucha, this is not quite as clear.  It is true that your home-brewed kombucha may be able to reach alcohol content levels as high as 3-5% ABV; however, this is only if you are actively trying to increase the alcohol content of your kombucha. On the flip side, there are plenty of steps you can take in order to prevent your home-brewed kombucha from reaching a higher alcohol content.

How to Keep Kombucha Alcohol Content Low:

Minimize your second fermentation time

The vast majority of your kombucha’s alcohol content comes from second fermentation.  This is due to the fact that your kombucha is kept in an airtight bottle during this time.  This makes the fermentation anaerobic, meaning oxygen is not involved.

Bacteria present in your SCOBY, which is responsible for consuming ethanol and converting it into organic acids, can only operate aerobically.  Without oxygen, the bacteria will not consume the ethanol (alcohol) let off by yeasts, and the alcohol will remain in your brew.

This is why there is essentially no alcohol after primary fermentation; levels after primary fermentation are generally below 0.5% ABV.  This is not to say that you cannot take your kombucha through second fermentation.  You can still do a second fermentation, you just need to manage it correctly.  Keeping it shorter is one way to prevent a higher alcohol content from building up, making your kombucha safer for kids.  We would recommend pulling your kombucha after a 2-3 day second fermentation. 

Limit the sugar added during second fermentation

The yeast in your kombucha needs sugar to fuel fermentation and create alcohol in the first place.  By keeping the sugars you add during second fermentation to standard amounts or even lower, you can also limit the alcohol content that your kombucha is capable of reaching.  By limiting the additional sugar and second fermentation time to standard levels, you should already limit your post-second fermentation kombucha alcohol content to about 2% ABV max.

Drink your kombucha soon after placing it in the fridge

The cooler temperatures provided by your fridge slow fermentation significantly, but your kombucha can still slowly ferment in the fridge and very gradually build alcohol content as a result.  If you are looking to minimize alcohol content, we recommend consuming your finished kombucha within 2 weeks of placing it in the fridge.

Opt to Skip Second Fermentation Altogether

For the reasons explained above, this is ideal if you want to keep your kombucha alcohol levels as low as possible. (Again, ABV is generally less than 0.5% at this point).  However, you will be missing out on carbonation and the potential to flavor your brew.

Having said that, you can still add a small amount of juice or another flavoring prior to serving in order to make the kombucha more enticing to kids or adults with more of a sweet tooth.  About a tablespoon of juice per 12 ounces of kombucha should do the trick!  Serving the kombucha immediately after adding the juice ensures there is no time for the alcohol content to build up even if you have the kombucha in an airtight bottle.

So, is home-brewed kombucha safe for kids?

Taking the steps mentioned above limits the alcohol content of your kombucha enough to make it perfectly safe for consumption by children, while minimizing the impact on the turnout of your kombucha.  As long as your kids aren’t drinking unusually high amounts of kombucha, the low alcohol content is very unlikely to affect them.  Kombucha also has incredible benefits to offer children and adults alike.

Benefits of Kombucha for Kids

Encouraging Healthy Habits

Kombucha is a tasty low-sugar alternative to harmful sodas, diet sodas, high-sugar juices, and more.  Kombucha can be brewed into all kinds of flavors that kids will love—they will likely never guess how healthy it actually is!  Setting your children up for an addiction to a healthy, probiotic and antioxidant-loaded natural beverage instead of an addiction to sugar has much better implications for the future of their health.

Direct Health benefits

Without delving too far into the health benefits of kombucha, let’s take a look at some well-known benefits of the beverage.  Kombucha is loaded with polyphenols (antioxidant-packed), B-vitamins, beneficial organic acids, and probiotics.  Benefits offered include improved gut health, defense against harmful bacteria, reduced risk of heart disease, diabetes management and outright prevention, defense against cancer, detoxification, and improved energy levels.  Believe it or not, this is just the start of what kombucha has to offer!  Drinking kombucha is a great step towards better overall health and a more balanced body. 

The Verdict

As long as it is properly brewed to manage the alcohol content, kombucha is an excellent option for kids and adults alike.  Kombucha is not just a low-sugar alternative to soda and other beverages kids often drink, but it also offers excellent nutritional and health benefits.  Whether you are buying kombucha from the store or brewing your kids’ favorite flavors at home, kombucha for kids is the way to go!  We hope you can share your love for kombucha with your kids and enjoy the benefits together. 

Please note that we are not licensed medical professionals.  If you are seeking medical advice or a professional opinion, you should consult your physician. 

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As a disclaimer, we are not medical professionals.  The information contained in this article has been sourced from various research studies, which have been linked.

Kombucha Benefits: Probiotics, Antioxidants, Nutrients, & More!

Kombucha is essentially sweet tea that has been fermented with live yeasts and bacteria.  While this may not sound very appetizing, the fermentation process is responsible for the plentiful probiotic benefits kombucha offers.  After all, probiotics are a collection of live bacteria and yeasts that are beneficial to our health.  We will admit, “probiotics” sounds friendlier and perhaps more edible than “living microorganisms”!  The probiotics in kombucha offer health benefits that can improve quality of life in many ways. 

Kombucha is also loaded with antioxidants.  In fact, it is generally made with black or green tea—which have antioxidant qualities to begin with.  Polyphenols in tea are responsible for the antioxidant properties, and they actually increase in number during the fermentation process.  When kombucha ferments, it also forms several organic acids and nutrients with countless health benefits to offer.  Amongst these benefits are: 

Digestion & Nutrient Absorption

Our guts are filled with good and bad bacteria.  Probiotics offer more of the good bacteria and can create a barrier against the bad bacteria.  In doing so, evidence suggests probiotics normalize our digestive system.  Probiotics have been shown to slow the movement of foods through the gut by 12.4 hours, allowing for better absorption of nutrients and digestion of food.  

In spite of slowing the gut transit time, probiotics have also shown to increase the number of weekly bowel movements and soften stools.  In other words, they help our digestive systems become more “regular”.  Antioxidants in kombucha also fight free radicals in the gut that could otherwise lead to cell damage and disease.

All of these benefits can help to treat and prevent various digestive issues, such as diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, nutrient malabsorption, and constipation.  It’s hard to believe this is just the start of kombucha health benefits!

Allergy Treatment

Probiotics have also been shown to treat allergies.  Studies have shown that children and adults alike showed reduced symptoms of allergic rhinitis in response to allergens after ingesting probiotics.  While there are many variables involved–such as type of allergen, probiotic strain, and dosing—early research shows it might be worth reaching for a kombucha next time your seasonal allergies hit!

Oral Health

While probiotics are most commonly linked to gut health, recent studies have shown benefits to oral health as well.  Among these benefits are preventing plaque, fighting bad breath, preventing oral cancer, managing gingivitis, and decreasing inflammation from gum disease.  A vote for kombucha is a vote for your pearly whites! 

Immune Health

As mentioned in relation to gut health, probiotics can create a barrier against bad bacteria.  They do so by reinforcing the “barrier” function of the intestinal lining.  This, in turn, reduces the likelihood of harmful bacteria reaching the bloodstream.  The end result is protection against infections and immune related reactions. 

In fact, recent studies have shown that regular use of probiotics (such as those found in kombucha) can reduce the likelihood of catching a cold or getting an infection, increase the effectiveness of the flu shot, reduce the symptoms and the length of a cold, and even more!  Sounds like a great reason to kombucha guzzle your way to great health this flu season!

Kombucha also contains organic acids, many of which have been shown to inhibit growth of harmful microorganisms, which may otherwise lead to illness and/or infection.

Liver Health & Detoxification

 The glucuronic acid in kombucha also makes it an excellent health-aid for your liver.  Glucuronic acid is naturally produced by the liver, but our bodies often cannot produce enough to rid of all toxins.  Glucuronic acid, such as that found in kombucha, binds with toxins in our livers and allows for them to be released from the body, thus preventing them from overloading the liver and our bodies with toxins. 

Increased Energy

Kombucha offers a small amount of caffeine to give you a basic energy boost, but the long-term benefits offer much more.  By improving your gut health, kombucha makes it easier for your body to digest foods.  This means you are better able to digest and absorb energy-essential vitamins and nutrients from all of your food!  Your body will be more efficient in converting your food to energy in general. Kombucha also offers a small amount of energy-boosting B-vitamins in the drink itself.

Treatment and Prevention of Type 2 Diabetes

Diabetes type 2 is characterized by high blood sugar levels and a wide array of resulting symptoms.  A study on diabetic rats showed that kombucha slowed the digestion of carbs, reducing blood sugar levels.  In turn, the rats showed better liver and kidney function with the kombucha tea.  Kombucha is also very low in sugar, making it an excellent alternative to soda for those suffering from diabetes or at risk for diabetes.

Defense Against Cancer-Causing Agents, Reduced Inflammation, Heart-Disease Prevention

As mentioned, kombucha tea is loaded with polyphenols, which are packed with antioxidants.  Polyphenols offer incredible health benefits, including prevention and management of various chronic diseases, defense against cancer-causing agents, and reduced inflammation.   Polyphenols may even be a significant aid in the prevention of cardiovascular disease.

Much research on polyphenols is still needed, but we are continually learning more about the incredible health benefits they can offer.  In fact, they are even a key focus of “Brainhacker” Dave Asprey’s research and diet plans.

Weight Loss

Many studies have shown that our gut health and bacteria may be related to metabolism and weight. In order to improve gut health, one should supplement with probiotics such as the ones found in kombucha.  Studies have demonstrated that certain strains of beneficial gut bacteria have a positive impact on body weight and metabolism. More research is still needed to identify strains, dosage, and duration of probiotic use as a treatment for obesity; however, the early research is promising. 

Neurological Health

Studies have shown that polyphenols help us to defend against and perhaps even treat many neurodegenerative diseases and disorders such as MS, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, stroke, and Huntington’s Disease.  Kombucha is a great source of polyphenols and the antioxidants they harbor. 

Probiotics, also found in kombucha, have also been up for review for treatment and/or prevention of neurologic diseases.  Probiotics may generally boost mood and cognitive function.  Additional research is needed to better understand their use in the prevention and treatment of neurologic disease.   

Limited Research

These kombucha benefits are pretty amazing, and this is just the beginning!  Research on health benefits of kombucha as a whole is still limited, and future findings are promising when there are so many benefits to be gained from its individual parts.  We cannot wait to learn more about how each of these compounds works together and separately to improve bodily functions and overall health.

We expect and hope to update this with new information and health benefits of kombucha in the future! Ready to start home-brewing your own kombucha today? Get started with our kombucha starter kit!

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What is Keto?

First, let’s make sure we are all on the same page in terms of what the keto diet consists of.  Keto, the ketogenic diet, is essentially about eating high-fat, high-protein foods and avoiding carbs.    When done properly, the keto diet puts your body into ketosis, which is where the trendy diet gets its name.

So, what exactly does it mean to be in ketosis?  It might sound a little scary, but ketosis is simply a metabolic state that causes your body to turn to fat reserves for energy.  Normally, your body converts glucose into energy; however, cutting out carbs (and thus sugar) means there is no glucose to turn to.  This makes ketosis a great diet option if you are looking to “lean out” or lose fat.

When in ketosis, your liver converts fatty acids from your diet and fat reserves into ketones.  Ketones build up in the blood and are used by your body as an alternative energy source.  Burning ketones rather than glucose can reduce inflammation, result in weight loss, reduce episodes of epilepsy, increase brainpower, increase energy, and lower blood sugar.  It’s not difficult to see why the keto diet has become so popular!

What is Kombucha?

In short, kombucha is a fermented health beverage that offers ample health benefits of its own.  Kombucha is made by adding a SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) and kombucha starter tea to room-temperature, freshly brewed sweet tea.  As you may have guessed, that sweet tea does in fact have sugar.

However, much of the sugar in the sweet tea is fermented and converted into carbonation, organic acids, and alcohol by the bacteria and yeast in the SCOBY.  This magic happens over what is generally a 7-21 day fermentation process.  The end product offers health benefits including, but not limited to: improved gut health, reduced inflammation, increased energy, defense against toxins, and improved immune health. Pretty amazing, but exactly how much sugar is left when the kombucha has completed fermentation?

The amount of sugar remaining in the kombucha will vary depending on how long it was brewed, the amount of sugar it began with, and several other variables related to the brewing process.  You have the most control over this when you are brewing your own kombucha, as you control the brewing process itself. 

Kombucha and Keto: The Verdict

So, now that we have the facts, is kombucha safe to drink on the keto diet?  Fortunately, kombucha is keto-approved IF you are brewing your own!  This is due to the fact that you control the fermentation process and thus the amount of sugar in the end-product.   

If you have never brewed kombucha, it is a lot easier than you might think!  Check out our kombucha brewing kit, which comes with everything you need and walks you through the brewing process step-by-step.  We do recommend going for longer brewing periods in order to ferment even more sugar out of the drink (if you can handle the acidity, try 14 days). 

If you are nervous about kicking yourself out of ketosis, you can always buy some ketone strips and turn it into a mini science project!  Play around with the brewing time, the amount you drink in a single sitting, and the fruit/flavoring you add during second fermentation.  If you enjoy your kombucha more on the sweet side, you can even figure out exactly how far you can push it without coming out of ketosis!

Unfortunately, store-bought kombucha is generally just too high in sugar.  If you are not up for home-brewing, you could try a similar process with the ketone strips.  You would want to look for a relatively low-sugar product and start by drinking a very small serving. 

Thanks for learning with us today!  We wish you a happy & healthy future filled with kombucha AND keto

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For those of you who may not know, kombucha second fermentation is an optional step in the kombucha making process.  Second fermentation is the process through which your kombucha can be flavored, carbonated, and more!  While it is not a necessary step and plain ‘ol primary fermented kombucha is wonderful for you as well, we are big fans of second fermentation and think you will be too by the end of this article!

The Obvious (& Palatable!) Benefits of Second Fermentation

Once primary fermentation is complete, you will remove your SCOBYs (symbiotic cultures of bacteria and yeast) and have the option to take your kombucha on the journey that is second fermentation.  SCOBYs are present throughout the entire primary fermentation process, and unfortunately they are rather fragile; straying from the status quo during the primary fermentation process can ruin a batch of kombucha and even destroy the SCOBY!  The primary fermentation process is also aerobic as the SCOBY requires oxygen to conduct its magic.  This is why we cover the fermentation jar with a breathable coffee filter or cloth.  Luckily, second fermentation is SCOBY-free, allowing us to experiment and reap many benefits without risking the health of our kombucha and SCOBY!   The most apparent of these benefits are…

Flavor!

Second fermentation consists of flavoring your kombucha in a number of different ways! To begin this process, you will add your kombucha to your choice of fruits, juice, herbs, spices, vegetables, extracts, and more!  This means you can significantly diversify the flavor of your kombucha!  As an added bonus, we will continue to ferment the kombucha after adding these flavors.  The yeast remaining in the kombucha will consume most of the sugars that we add, leaving us with a healthier end product.  If you aren’t enticed by the myriad of potential flavors you can add, you should know that the yeast also releases CO2 into your kombucha as a byproduct of consuming the sugar.  This brings us to our next point…

Carbonation

The CO2 (carbon dioxide) released into the kombucha is actually what carbonates it! So, unlike sodas and many other popular beverages which are artificially carbonated, our kombucha ends up being naturally carbonated through the second fermentation process!  Keep in mind you will need to add some form of sugar prior to the second fermentation process in order to fuel the yeast; if you would like to flavor your kombucha with veggies or keep the flavor profile basic, you can achieve carbonation by simply adding approx. 2/3 tsp. of sugar.

As mentioned before, the primary fermentation process is aerobic.  To the contrary, second fermentation is anaerobic; our kombucha and added ingredients must be placed in an airtight bottle and fermented for 1-14* more days. This keeps our carbonation sealed within the bottle!  In fact, so much carbonation can build up that you will want to “burp” it (lift lid to release excess pressure) daily during second fermentation to avoid an explosion! *The variation in the second fermentation process is explained by variables such as temperature, ingredients added, and personal preference!

Health Benefits of Second Fermentation

Nutrition of Added Ingredients

One of the more obvious health benefits of second fermentation is the addition of nutritious fruits, herbs, and more! From berries to chia seeds, kombucha will appreciate all of the healthy foods you “feed” it.  Fermentation also makes foods easier to digest, meaning you might end up getting even more nutrition out of your added ingredients than you would have if you ate them raw!   Fermentation also preserves food, meaning you can eat the fresh fruits and veggies you add to your kombucha even if it has been sitting in the fridge for weeks.  It doesn’t get any better than that! But wait, actually it does…

Less Sugar

As mentioned earlier, yeasts in kombucha consume sugars during both primary and secondary fermentation.  Since secondary fermentation means fermenting your kombucha for longer, it also means additional sugar is consumed by the yeasts.  The longer the fermentation period, the less sugar your end product will have!  This makes second fermentation kombucha an even more attractive option for all health-conscious individuals.  It is also a delicious and much more nutritious alternative to soda and other high-sugar drinks for diabetics and others watching their sugar intake.

More of the “Good Stuff” from Fermentation!

The fermentation process produces countless probiotics, beneficial acids, and antioxidants that can be found in kombucha.  During second fermentation, many of the yeasts and bacteria responsible for these wonderful things remain in the kombucha even after the SCOBY has been removed.  They continue to work the parts of their magic that can be conducted anaerobically, meaning the end product will have more of these beneficial byproducts.  Health benefits of these compounds include improved digestion, detoxification, increased energy, boosted immune system, defense against cancer-causing agents, and even more!  Kombucha gives a new meaning to the word Superfood! (Or Superdrink?)

Boozy Kombucha

One thing to be aware of with second fermentation is the fact that the alcohol content in your kombucha can be increased somewhat significantly.  Upon consuming sugar, yeasts produce ethanol in addition to carbon dioxide.  During primary fermentation, bacteria converts most of the ethanol to organic acids through an aerobic (oxygen-requiring) process.  Once we move kombucha to sealed bottles for second fermentation, there is a very limited amount of oxygen available to the bacteria.  As a result, the bacteria cannot convert most of the additional ethanol produced during this stage.  This means that the alcohol content of the kombucha increases as the kombucha is bottled for longer periods of time; especially if the yeasts are given some form of additional sugar to convert during second fermentation.

This is generally not something to be too concerned about; if you conduct second fermentation for a standard amount of time, the alcohol content of your kombucha should not exceed 3% ABV.  However, if you make it your goal to increase the alcohol content of your kombucha, you can quite possibly reach an ABV as high as 5-6%!  This would involve efforts such as increasing the yeast content of your SCOBY, adding more sugars prior to second fermentation, and conducting second fermentation for an extended period of time.

Give Second Fermentation a Whirl!

All that’s left to do now is embark on your second fermentation adventure! Do some reading about all of the wonderful options you have for flavoring your second fermentation kombucha! If you have not yet completed the primary fermentation process or haven’t started your kombucha journey at all, you will want to review the entire process first.

Have any questions or comments?  Please let us know using the comments below!  Thanks for learning with us today and we wish you and your kombucha all of the best!

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